President of the Year: California Chancellor

Coming out of high school, California Community Colleges Chancellor Eloy Oakley “was like many of the young men and women that we serve in our colleges — I really didn’t know what to do. I was a pretty good student, and I was recruited to play football … but even though I had gone out and made a commitment to Pitzer College and paid my enrollment fees, I never wound up going on the first day of class, because like many students,” Oakley said he didn’t know how to navigate the process — or pay for his education.

So instead of college, Oakley turned to the U.S. Army. By the time he finally enrolled in college, he was a husband and a father, and part-time enrollment around his work schedule seemed the only feasible option.